Comparison

Cold Stone vs Dunkin'

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Cold Stone

Order custom ice cream creations, shakes, or cakes for pickup or delivery. Save your favorite orders, earn rewards, and enjoy exclusive birthday treats through a loyalty program.

Highlights
  • Order ice cream creations, shakes, and cakes
  • Pickup at store or delivery to door
  • Save favorite orders and re-order easily
  • Unlimited customizations
  • Earn points and redeem rewards
  • Birthday Buy One, Get One FREE offer
Features
Read full description

The Cold Stone Creamery® app lets you order our made-fresh Ice Cream in a Creation™, Shake or Cake and have it ready for pickup at your favorite store or delivered right to your door! Sign in to your My Cold Stone Rewards account and you can save favorite orders, earn points and redeem rewards! ABOUT MY COLD STONE CLUB REWARDS + Earn 1 point for every $1 + Receive a $5 Reward with every 50 points + Enjoy a Buy One, Get One FREE on your birthday FEATURES + Order ahead and pick up at the store + Or, get your order delivered right to your door + Easily re-order with favorites and recent orders + Enjoy The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience® in app with unlimited customizations

About

Dunkin'

Order your favorite coffee and treats ahead of time and skip the line. Earn rewards for every purchase, customize your order with numerous options, and enjoy contactless pickup. You can also send gift cards directly through the app.

Highlights
  • Order ahead and skip the wait
  • Contactless pickup options
  • Earn free food and drinks with rewards
  • Customize orders extensively
  • Save favorite orders and locations
  • Schedule orders up to 24 hours in advance
  • Send gift cards
Features
Read full description

Order ahead & skip the wait! Ordering through the Dunkin’ app is fast, easy and contactless! All app users can place their order ahead through the Dunkin’ app and skip the wait in store. Try all our contactless pickup options – walk-in pickup, drive-thru and curbside pickup! Options will vary by store. Check app for details. Join Dunkin’ Rewards to earn FREE food and drinks! Runnin' has its rewards. Join our new rewards program, DUNKIN’ REWARDS, to earn your choice of free food and drinks, unlock Boosted Status to earn points faster and score members-only exclusive offers. Members earn 10 points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases in-store or when they order ahead. Pay Any Way Dunkin’ Rewards members earn points any way they pay – cash, credit/debit, Dunkin’ Card or Apple Pay. Dunkin' Rewards members can setup auto-reload so their Dunkin’ Card never runs out of funds. Customize Make it your own! There’s over 14,000 ways to customize your order when you order ahead on the app. Plus, Dunkin’ Rewards members can save their favorite orders and Dunkin’ locations, and schedule their mobile orders up to 24 hours in advance. Send a Gift Card Need a last-minute gift or a special pick-me-up? Dunkin’ Rewards members can send Dunkin’ Gift Cards via text or email from the app.

Screenshots

Cold Stone4 screens
Dunkin'4 screens

Verdict

The call

Cold Stone and Dunkin' both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 45% of Dunkin''s written reviews are positive against 20% of Cold Stone's. Dunkin' also leads on ratings volume (1.4M vs 23K) and chart position (#2 vs #125). Cold Stone's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Cold Stone against 4.8 for Dunkin'. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dunkin' has 1.4M ratings behind it against 23K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 20% of Cold Stone's written reviews are positive against 45% of Dunkin''s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cold Stone ships an update every 3 weeks, Dunkin' every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Cold Stone versus Dunkin': the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCold StoneDunkin'
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (23K ratings)4.8 (1.4M ratings) — better
Positive reviews19.6% of reviews45.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings23K1.4M — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#125#2 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB215 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKahala Management, L.L.C.Dunkin' Donuts

Customer experience

Cold Stone

All ratings23,300 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.0%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews260 reviews
Positive19.6%
Neutral9.2%
Negative71.2%

Dunkin'

All ratings1,372,591 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews2,540 reviews
Positive45.4%
Neutral9.6%
Negative45.0%

User reviews

Cold Stone

From 23K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and easy order and pick up
  • 👍 Exceptional ice cream and service
  • 💡 Allows store to accept phone number for rewards

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app features
  • 👎 Outdated and clunky app design
  • 🤔 Disconnect between app and store inventory
  • 💸 Incorrect orders and missing items
  • 🤯 Frustrating login and account issues

Dunkin'

From 1.4M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient order ahead
  • 👍 Rewards program
  • 🚀 Saves time

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App glitches and errors
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent order fulfillment
  • 💰 Deceptive pricing and rewards
  • 🤯 Confusing and frustrating app experience

Bugs and requests

Cold Stone

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Payment processing errors
  • Inability to change pickup location
  • Rewards not updating properly
  • App crashes when trying to add gift cards

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to reorder previous orders
  • Option to select custom ice cream flavors
  • Integration with mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
  • Easier way to apply rewards and discounts
  • Clearer communication on store closures and order availability

Dunkin'

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Inaccurate order tracking and status updates
  • Payment issues and double charges
  • Location detection problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow customization of orders in the app
  • Improve refund and order correction process
  • Provide real-time inventory updates in the app
  • Make the rewards program more transparent and fair

In-app purchases

None

Cold Stone

No in-app purchases

None

Dunkin'

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cold Stone free?
Cold Stone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dunkin' free?
Dunkin' is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cold Stone or Dunkin'?
Dunkin' is rated higher. Cold Stone averages 4.7 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Dunkin' averages 4.8 from 1.4M ratings.
Do Cold Stone or Dunkin' have ads?
Neither Cold Stone nor Dunkin' shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cold Stone or Dunkin'?
Cold Stone ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dunkin' every 5 weeks. Most recently, Cold Stone was updated on September 25, 2026 and Dunkin' on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cold Stone or Dunkin'?
Cold Stone currently peaks at #125 in the App Store charts, and Dunkin' at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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